College
by hopelesslyhoping
Summary: The two of them quickly learned that the only thing lawyers and nurses had in common was a dorm in building C along with never-ending whispers on the back row in economics. / All human. AU. Snippets into life at Whitmore, where Kat and Care share a dorm and everything is different
1. One

**A/N: I felt like exploring TVD. I decided to challenge myself and go all human, play around with the facts we already know. I just put everyone in college, really. Fell in love with the idea of Kat and Care being besties, but you can't really make that happen without messing a few things up, so ... here ya go.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own TVD and it's characters. The rest of the things I unfortunately don't own I usually put in _italic_.**

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 **Title: One.  
Pairings + characters: Kat and Care, Hayley visits. They mention team Stelena, and the other brother. Oh, and Davina's brought up too.  
Genre: Friendship  
Summary: College has always been part of their "double wedding and best friend babies"-plan. / set the first week**

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The door slams shut dramatically, and Caroline can't help but roll her eyes because _of course_ even the door knows Katherine Pierce needs dramatic arrivals. She looks up from the _ELLE_ she snatched out of her roommate's bag pre-party the night before (even after eighteen years she still can't wait for Kat to finish her famous smoky eyes without a little distraction) and smiles at the usual heels, jeans and too-tight top.

The brunette herself barely flinches, tossing her dark curls over her shoulder as she eyes her bed with a look of slight disgust; she kicks her heels in the general direction of last night's dresses and cocks her head innocently as her eyes find her best friend's. Caroline sighs at the pout her red – is that _her_ lipstick? – lips make and forces her own to send her friend a reassuring smile.

"So, with all of your newly required legal knowledge, I was hoping you could answer a question I've been pondering for a while," the brunette winks at her blonde companion in a way that says _you fucking go, legally blonde_.

Tucking a strand behind her ear is her own way of distracting herself from another eye-roll, "It's literally the first day, Kat."

College has always been part of their "double wedding and best friend babies"-plan, but it's their first time in forever without the exact same schedule. Figures that their differences would catch up to them eventually. Caroline is the naturally blonde but surprisingly smart cheerleader captain with a talent for organizing and making people feel special; she's a good person with a serious need for control, a constant smile with surprisingly witty comebacks. Katherine's nothing short of the other side of the coin, a dark haired beauty with unwavering confidence and a scheming, calculating mind that keeps things interesting. She's known for loving fiercely and hating just as passionately, her honesty brutal and her well-travelled adventurous side always welcomed.

No one was shocked when Caroline Forbes shared her dreams of being a big shot lawyer, both a perfect fit and a step up from her mom the sheriff. Katherine did the opposite, as per usual, and surprised everyone by following in the footsteps of the parents whose last names she didn't want by committing to becoming a nurse. Even though it was a step towards the family she'd alienated herself from, it too was the right fit. The two of them quickly learned that the only thing lawyers and nurses had in common was a dorm in building C along with never-ending whispers on the back row in economics.

"C'mon Care, play with me," the more impulsive of the two whines, her perfect eyebrows knitted together.

"Fine," Caroline gives in, raising a trimmed eyebrow of her own. "I'll answer as well as my lack of legal knowledge lets me."

Caroline's well aware she'll be spending her days in courtrooms while Katherine wanders around the nearest hospital; which they both know is a serious downgrade from passing notes in the back of classrooms or showing off at the front of any and all cheerleading formations. The fact that Caroline was a party-planner in her past life along with Katherine's beloved bartender job at the Grill helped prepare them for the sudden lack of meet-ups by their lockers – next to each other's because that's how their friendship had always worked – and lunch tables with their names on them. They've traded walks to school and lunch-dates with poking each other awake and talking the other to sleep.

They can't gossip about the girls they hate and the guys they don't (which there were a lot of seeing as Mystic Falls hit the jackpot in the hot guy draft) but Katherine stole her favorite red lipstick and that makes Caroline feel less guilty about borrowing her heeled boots. College was always part of the plan, and they're certainly not going to back out now – or, well, _ever_ , because they're too fierce and strong and independent for that.

Katherine claps her hands together, her fake sadness instantly replaced by a brilliant smile, "Perfect. I'm weighing my options here, so, let's say I kill team Stelena. The punishment; worth it, or no?"

"Definitely no," Caroline supplies just as their door's thrown open without a knock being heard – Hayley will later claim their ears aren't working because, _duh_ , of course she knocked. "If you get some help however, I'd say it would be totally worth every single day behind bars."

The newest addition to their morbid discussion leans against their door, her hand resting on the handle and a playful smirk appearing on her face, "Think they'll let us share a cell?"

Hayley without any last name was like a car crash when her heels hit the floors of their high school at the start of their junior year; horribly alone and scarily straight-forward, yet completely mesmerizing and ridiculously mysterious. The already existing duo had appreciated her ability to look out for herself, and easily gave up the empty seat between them in history. Hayley was a people's person, constantly treating the world like she wanted to be treated.

Years of being tossed around foster families that didn't really care had provided her with iron fists to defend the walls around her heart, and words as sharp as bullets for when the world was being unnecessary unfair. She was a psychology major because she wanted to understand the world and the people in it, and it was a perfect fit because the world would eventually learn to love her just as much as her two best friends did.

Katherine laughs, seductive and husky without even trying, and plops down on the blonde's bed, "Welcome to the party, Hales. How was your first day?"

"Eh, okay I guess, the guy I'm sitting with is kind of a chatter-box," Hayley wrinkles her nose in disgust, and then shrugs. "Roommate's a cutie though, this tiny politician-to-be. Don't know if her real name's actually Davina or if she just changed it from something boring like Susie, but she's dating this senior and totally scored us invites to their party next Friday."

"Cool, I could use a little alcohol," Katherine bobs her head excitedly, the gears in her twisted head already working on outfits for them all.

"What else is new?" Caroline's being serious, but laughs anyway. "Now explain to me why we're shooting team Stelena."

"Actually, my professional opinion is a good, old-fashioned stabbing," Hayley adds, cocking an eyebrow. "But yeah, didn't you choose the other brother?"

"How about just smashing their heads together and pushing them down the stairs?" Katherine suggests, causing both of her murder-buddies to hum their agreement. "And I'm sorry; I didn't think we were still pretending like I made the right choice."


	2. Two

**Title: Two.  
Pairings + characters: The golden trio. Mentions of the other trio, fuckboy Tyler and Liam the flirt, as well as the hot Brit in economics and Kai the RA.  
Genre: Friendship  
Summary: _Seriously_ , cheer was going to be hell without them. / set the first week.**

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"How did it go? Did Rebekah have the guts to show? Did they like you? Did they hate 'Lena?"

Katherine throws the questions her best friend's way before she even has a chance to shut the door behind her, sweat glittering on her forehead and her blonde curls pulled back expertly – which it should be, the girl's had cheer captain written on her pale ass forehead since they were kidnapping everyone's crayons in kindergarten. Hayley snorts from where she's reading up on anatomy on the blonde's bed, and Katherine quickly searches for the future cheer captain's eyes so she won't have to feel even guiltier for trading anatomy with black nail polish.

"It went fine, I still wish you'd just joined me," Caroline admits, shrugging off her – well, Hayley's – jean jacket and aiming for Kat's bed.

"I told you, it's bad for my reputation," Katherine doesn't miss a beat, joking as she always does.

"You'll do great on your own, Care," Hayley winks, before book-marking her page and sitting up. "Now, please tell me Bonnie fell flat on her face or something."

Katherine laughs, sitting up too to do her toes, "I could see her getting strangled by a pompom."

Katherine catches her bottom lip with her teeth to keep herself from laughing as Caroline rolls her eyes, the gesture obviously playful due to the ever-present smile on her make-up less face. The blonde joins Hayley on her messy bed with an overdramatic sigh, telling them all about eventful cheer try-outs and the fake bitches she's up against; _seriously_ , cheer was going to be hell without them. She blows on her nails as a tired Caroline questions Hayley on the different areas in the brain while the brunette massages her feet, somewhat paying attention and somewhat wondering if the hot RA will have to come and kick Hayley out if she stays past eleven.

Noticing how easy it is for her two favorites to slip right back into routine, she figures there might be hope for broken hearts like theirs after all. Maybe they really don't need cheerleading to hold them together, maybe they'll all turn out just fine even if their friendship only survives on catching up on Caroline's bed every now and again. They've become so much more than shared classes and conflicting crushes, and god does Katherine love the college life.

"That party tomorrow, we still going?" her raised eyebrow lets her girls know that she doesn't really care what she's interrupted.

"I'm game," Hayley's smirk comes back full force. "Should meet roomie's boyfriend, maybe let you introduce me to that hottie who keeps hitting on you."

"You're not a consolation price Hales, Liam doesn't deserve to be your rebound," Kat's response is quick and painful, like a band aid (she cares though, they know she does). "I, however, would love for Caroline to let herself get to know the hot Brit in economics who keeps calling her _darling_."

Hayley recovers quickly, slapping Caroline's shoulder in offense for being kept out of the loop, "Now that's gold."

Caroline merely shrugs, a nervous smile forming on her otherwise tired face, "He's alright, a little too playful for my taste but yeah, Kat's got a point, we could all use our rebounds I guess."

Senior year the star of Mystic Falls High's football team cheated on the cheerleader captain with her best friend, the new girl. Caroline Forbes experienced having her heart shattered by the people she loved the most, completely taken by surprise as the mistake fueled her insecurities and set her and Hayley's friendship on pause. She spent her days putting on a facade for the rest of their classmates, and her nights in his old jersey crying and eating ice cream.

After mustering up enough courage to pack up his things and personally deliver them – as well as an official _screw you, we're done_ because only in the end did she realize she'd fallen for tempered and idiotic – she hit play and invited Hayley to join her and Kat for thanksgiving. Needless to say Caroline made the right decision, the fact that their friendship was more fragile than any of them had expected was still a sore spot for all three of them.

"I think you should take tomorrow night as an opportunity to be a little playful yourself, Care," Katherine always speaks like she knows exactly what she's talking about. "Surely he has a brother worthy of Hayley's company."

"And what about you?" Hayley's concern appears a second too late, and Kat rolls her eyes.

Caroline, on the other hand, waves a dismissive hand in Kat's direction, "She's saving herself for the hot RA."

The brunette on the floor glares at her best friend as she tightens her pony-tail, "It's fate, honey, and Kai will love me just as much as I love him once I'm positive pursuing him won't get me kicked out of college."


	3. Three

**Title: Three.  
** **Pairings + characters: The roomies, featuring one half-naked Kai, Stefan up Care's ass, Elena and her stupid "welcome home"-dinner, Care's boytoy Kol and the choice Kat regrets making.  
** **Genre: Friendship  
** **Summary: I think we should bury them alive. / set between assigments**

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Her curls are everywhere and the sweater she's thrown over one of many floral dresses is getting itchy, and she's sure her lipstick's smeared which is almost as annoying as the click-clack of her boots as she trudges down the hallway in the general direction of her dorm. She pays the corkboard no mind at all – well okay, she fixes the heart over her _i_ and wipes off the phone number and creepy message scribbled under her roommate's name – as she pushes the door open in hopes of all her nerves and anger completely disappearing from her body.

No such luck, "Kat, what the actual _hell_?"

Her screech causes her roommate's friend – and when she says friend, she means _friend_ – to tumble off _her_ freaking bed with a surprised yelp, and even as Care takes in his face, and realizes that holy shitit's the _fucking_ RA, the anger in the pit of her stomach won't extinguish. Her best friend props herself up on her elbows, paying the shirtless hottie on their floor no mind at all, as her lips form a cheeky smirk that matches her messed-up hair perfectly. Kat's blouse is torn open and Caroline has no doubt she'll discover black buttons in her pink bedsheets for days now.

"Hey Barbie, home so soon?" Katherine's constantly hoarse and ridiculously seductive laugh does nothing to diffuse the awkwardness lingering in the air.

Caroline crosses her arms, raises a stern eyebrow, "Screw you."

When her smirk becomes a grin, Caroline realizes her mistake and rolls her eyes as Kat sits up fully, "Well, he _was_ doing that, but you know, you cock-blocked."

"I hate you," she declares, her glare softening as she points to the idiot who still hasn't moved off the floor. "Get out, please."

If Kat's surprised that she manages to say please and thank you to the guy who tried screwing her best friend on her flipping bed in the goddamn middle of the day then she doesn't make any move to show so other than the eyebrow that cocks as Care even picks up his shirt from the floor and places it in his trembling hands. The second the door slams shut behind her boy toy however, Katherine's on her feet with her hands raised in defense; she eyes Caroline like she's unpredictable, and this might just as well be the first time ever she actually is.

"Isn't it lovely knowing my future husband will always have this first impression of you?" Kat jokes, her wide eyes contradicting her teasing smirk.

Caroline huffs out a breath of air, crossing her arms defensively, "Sure but really, Kat, _my_ fucking bed? What's wrong with you?"

"Short list; hormones, ask my therapist for the rest," the girl shrugs innocently, already over the whole ordeal. "You however, that's a mystery. What's up your ass?"

"Stefan," Caroline sighs, her eyes going wide at Kat's Cheshire-cat like grin once again warns her of her mistake. "Damn it, not like that. You're useless; I'm going over to Hayley's."

The brunette changes tactics in the blink of an eye, playfully rolling her chocolate brown orbs before reaching out for her best friend since forever and pulling them down to sit on – _thank god_ – the untouched bed. Care watches as Kat slips right back into old habits, crossing her feet and tucking unruly dark strands behind her ears, cracking a reassuring smile and raising curios brows. It's almost like they're back in high school, when boys like Tyler Lockwood made Caroline all kinds of crazy and Katherine was the only one who bothered with picking up the pieces of her wild heart.

"What about Stef?" Katherine pushes, because that's the only way to get her to talk.

Caroline rolls her eyes, her laugh humorless, "I think we should bury them alive. He was my key witness for mock trial on Friday and then he just ditched me because your parents invited him to Elena's stupid "welcome home"-dinner."

Caroline's learned to appreciate how much her best friend cares about her, because she doesn't need to specify who they're burying alive (or ask if Kat's helping, because she'll help her with anything). Kat's aware she notices the knit of her eyebrows as she wonders whether there would still be a "welcome home"-dinner if she'd bothered coming home too, but neither of them mention it; they end up discussing it a week later when Kat admits she's homesick and asks Caroline if Jeremy can come over and stay a couple of nights (he does, and Katherine quickly learns it's better than coming home).

Kat tells her everything she needs to hear – even if she regrets choosing Damon, she puts all of her flare for the dramatics into announcing that Stefan Salvatore is a dick and makes Caroline laugh. When the grin appears on her best friend's face again, Caroline isn't shocked by her suggested replacement and admits that she has kind of been neglecting Kol (Kat then jokes about the _almost_ in her bed turning her on, which results in a pissed off brunette washing pink bed sheets past curfew).


	4. Four

**Title: Four.  
Pairings + characters: Kat and her flash cards, Care and her missing panties. Mentions of Hales, Ty and Kai, as well as the Salvatores and the Mikaelsons.**  
 **Genre: Friendship**  
 **Summary: You're too good to be repeating my mistakes. / set the night they decide to stay in**

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 **Dear Guest, I love you for getting invested.**

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She eyes her best friend with barely concealed amusement as she trudges around their dorm with a towel-turban covering up her blonde curls in just heels with her arms flailing wildly as she searches for her nude panties – safe to say she's seriously losing her grip on her title as the sane one. Deep down in her dark mind, or maybe by her icy heart, Kat wishes she too was trading PJ's with tight dresses and flash cards with gin and tonics. Thing is, anatomy doesn't like her half as much as criminal law loves Caroline thus she's missing out on another girl's night by the bar of some ridiculously expensive restaurant. The blonde slips on her panties – why they were atop the fridge neither girl knows – and fiddles with the zipper of the little black and backless number that forces her to go braless.

"You alright over there?" Kat inquires from where she's set up camp on her roommate's bed.

Caroline rolls her eyes, expertly pulling the dress on over her head, "I'm perfect. Why?"

"Just take a moment and asses this particular setting, _Mrs. Perfect_ ," Katherine raises an eyebrow. "I'm dating the RA and staying in studying. You're going out drinking and-"

"And what, Kat?" Caroline whirls around from their mirror to face her, her chipped nails fiddling with Hayley's hoop earrings.

For as long as she can remember, Kat's had Caroline by her side. The blonde shone her light onto Katherine even when she didn't deserve it (which _was_ most of the time), always more supportive than her sister and more accepting than her parents. Their friendship never should've made as much sense at it did; Katherine kept Care grounded, but still let Caroline show her the endless possibilities up in the clouds. Katherine got herself wedged between two boys, Caroline fell for only one and never struggled with keeping him around. Katherine attended summer school while Caroline dreamed of Ivy League, the blonde was definitely going home for thanksgiving while her best friend was more than happy to finally be away. Caroline may be a kiddie pool, but she'd never been a survivor – Kat was doing her best to maintain that exactly.

"You _know_ what, Care," Katherine sighs, letting her thumbnail rest on her unfinished sentence as she sits up. "I wish you'd just talk to me about Kol's brother. You're too good to be repeating my mistakes."

"I know, okay?" Caroline finally finishes with the earring and proceeds to throw her arms in the air. "I _know_ , I've got it handled."

Katherine refrains from rolling her eyes, instead cocking her head, "Do you really, though? Care, don't pretend with me, I know all about the allure to darkness; I chose it, remember?"

Caroline's fooling nobody as she protests – there's _no_ allure to darkness – because she's dating (playing, screwing, _whatever_ ) the guy who wears leather jackets and shamelessly flirts while failing to stop his bigger, badder brother from wooing her because the way he looks at her makes up for all the horrible things he's done (that even includes the only-official-in-Vegas marriage he has with his brother's ex-fiancé). She's also talking to the girl who found good but chose bad because she didn't think she deserved someone like Stefan Salvatore; because sneaking alcohol into her school bag and emptying it on a rooftop naked and underneath a blanket would always be so much easier for her than doing physics at the kitchen table.

Despite all the times that people have commented on the differences between her and Care, Katherine's always known they were the very same, you see; the sweeter the apple, the blacker the core. She's always accepted herself as the mess she truly is, but Caroline's worked so hard at being the damn apple it's nearly shocking to even Kat how she's suddenly, and rapidly, coming apart at her perfect seams. She hasn't been worried about mascara smudges and flat hair in forever (how did she _ever_ put up with Care back in high school?), but Kat's pretty sure she'd take a thousand unnecessary trips to the bathroom if it meant spending their nights on the floor with Chinese and not in different places (that's both physically and mentally, which scares her) and their mornings trading make-up rather than hungover and in love (respectively, which really should be the other way around).

Caroline's both smarter and stronger than Kat ever could be – Care would never bail on her problems like Kat does with all of hers – but in turn she's less secure and more restrained. If Katherine Gilbert of seventh grade knew that Care showcased her wild side by forgetting to call her mother on Saturday mornings and playing around with two kinds of trouble from the same family, she never would've promised herself to make it happen. Their differences began and ended with Caroline's blonde curls and Katherine's dark eyes.

Their family troubles were far from the same, but left them both with walls as high as their hearts were broken. No one was shocked when the same, stupid boy healed both hearts because their hearts were the same; kind and brave and wild and _shattered_. They enjoyed the same music and wore the same clothes, loved the same food and dated the same type of boys. Katherine Pierce of freshman year at Whitmore college who couldn't quite escape her childhood like she'd imagined back in seventh grade wasn't okay with dragging Caroline down into the rabbit hole with her.

"What?" Care demands because Kat's sure she's been eyeing her best friend with a raised brow and smirk and tired eyes for minutes now as she's struggled with getting her curls to cooperate.

Katherine sighs, subconsciously running a hand through her own locks, "Look, I know you thought Tyler was it for you; white picket fence and all. And I know sometimes you hate Hayley for ruining that. Just like you sometimes hate me for not picking your best friend. But our friendship is still okay; _we're_ still okay. Nothing can ruin this, do you get that?"

Caroline sighs, eyes away from the mirror and focused on hers, "Yeah."

"Then _talk_ to me," Kat pleads.

"You hate him," Caroline sighs, making a (tough which shouldn't be tough) decision as she ungracefully kicks off her heels.

"What, like you hate Damon?" Kat counters easily, her eyes following the flying heels. "Klaus was my rebound, of course I hate him."

But she'll always love Caroline, even if she decides that what she wants is the guy Kat hates – because that's what Care did for her, back when Kat was screwing up her life and Care's was in perfect order. Caroline doesn't go out that night after all. Instead she puts on the kind of classic rock that doesn't do Kat's focus any favors, and drowns her sorrows in the rest of her hidden tequila while dancing around barefooted.

They end up on the floor with Chinese, and even though Care's mascara is smudged and Kat didn't finish her practice test they're doing alright. Caroline opens up and Katherine does her best to help her, even if they both know she'll cling onto the younger brother despite the fact that the oldest drives her crazy (the good, rare kind of crazy that's hard to shrug off that is). In the morning Care experiments with Kat's favorite eyeshadow-palette while Katherine paints her nails in the pretty blue that's chipping at the blonde's own nails.

They both rock their own set of ripped jeans and plain t-shirts – Caroline's combo is lighter, just as she is in every aspect of their lives and personalities. Katherine steals the heels Caroline kicked off the night before, and Care once again borrows the black combats Kat hasn't had the chance to wear herself yet. Katherine has lunch with her boyfriend and dreams about her own white picket fence, figuring that if the roles are really as reversed as they seem that her best friend's having sex in the janitor's closet in hopes of making the safe one interesting enough for her not to need the other one; and she genuinely hopes Caroline succeeds (not because she hates herself for ever sleeping with Klaus Mikaelson, but because she loves her best friend dearly).


	5. Five

**Title: Five.  
Pairings + characters: Roomies and Kat's choice on a visit, mentions of _another_ Mikaelson, Kol, Stef, Kat's boyfriend and of course Hales.  
Genre: Friendship  
Summary: _Damon_! Towel! Knock! / set after a weekend back home**

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 **Dear Guest, thank you for the amazing review. Fierce. I like it. And yeah, I kinda want Kat to get a second chance too.**

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She's tugging her over-stuffed cheer bag out of the backseat of her mini, hair pulled into a perfect pony and her shorts sneaking up her waist (seriously, someone can _definitely_ see her ass right now). Gone is the noise of her blaring stereo, along with her mom's Sunday brunch and any traces of make-up. She grumpily eyes the coffee – probably iced by now – that Stefan bought her where it rests bravely atop the ceiling of the black and light blue exterior that's definitely held up longer than any of her relationships, wishing she could trade it in for her best friend's football-muscles because her damn bag won't budge.

She can picture Kat easily, sex hair intact and wandering fingers, wrapped up in sheets because her underwear's definitely on the floor by her boyfriend's shirt (mental note: don't fucking go near the bed until it's stripped down and the sheets are in the machine). Breathing out a sigh – of frustration and _not_ defeat, thank you very much – Caroline lets go of the stupid dark red bag to push some curls out of her face and adjust the grip her sneakers have on the dusty parking lot. Her damaged ankle is killing her, the bandage clearly not as tight as she'd originally anticipated, and her phone (probably halfway out of the back-pocket of her shorts by now) is vibrating like crazy.

She lets herself wonder if she's finally hit rock bottom, if down here it's supposed to smell like gas and feel like irony. Maybe she won't get her bag back until she admits to herself that she feels something for Klaus, which she _doesn't_ because she's with Kol. Maybe she could just leave it there, come get it tomorrow when everything's back to normal (because if this is what happens to her life after she's been home, she's staying at Whitmore until she graduates). Maybe if she just tries the other door?

"Need any help with that, Blondie?"

 _Great_. Caroline snaps her eyes shut, taking a steadying breath as she counts to ten in her already buzzing head; _please_ let annoying hallucinations be a side-effect of her per scripted painkillers. His laugh abruptly stops her train of thought, reminding her of hikes in the Salvatore woods, pool-games at the Grill, dinners by the fireplace and bourbon in bed. _Fucking great_. She whirls around as fast as her injury lets her, an involuntary shiver going from the top of her blonde head to the tips of her red toe-nails as her exhausted eyes lock with his darker ones – because that's exactly what Damon Salvatore is, _darker_. Darker than the sad party girl she was the summer after her dad left, darker than the cheerleader without pep who dumped his sorry ass once she got back to school; darker than who she is right now, even if who she is right now is more Kat than herself.

The corner of his mouth lifts up in a half-smile (and she _so_ doesn't remember pressing her lips to that corner, not at all), "I insist."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time you ambushed someone at the parking lot she slapped you," Caroline crosses her arms, anything for a false sense of security (he won't physically hurt her, but mentally he already has).

"And then she dumped her boyfriend to be with me," Damon's always played the game just as well as her. "It's just a bag, Caroline, let me help."

Then curiosity gets the better of her, and she's already letting things slide, "How are you even here?"

"Maybe I'm not, maybe you're just dreaming about me," he winks, then grabs her waist and gently pulls her behind him as he crouches down for her bag (the prickling on her bare skin after he lets her go is just her stupid imagination, no room for arguments).

"You're an idiot," she declares, kicking the ground in defeat.

Thing is, he used to be _her_ idiot. She still has that stupid scarf he bought her to butter her up before asking her to go camping with him, hidden amongst her intimates because that's what the scarf is to her. He's her best summer yet. She hates him for that. Her mother still asks about him. She hates him for that too. His nicknames and jokes and winks still get to her. This she hates herself for. The smile on his face as he leans on her door with her bag in his hand and the nipped material of her hoodie thrown over his shoulder calms her every nerve. She hates herself for this too.

She knows he's a football player now, and somewhere deep down she can admit to herself that he's still as hot as ever; he's probably here to see her best friend though. And this she kind of hates Kat for. There was never meant to be a Caroline and Damon, they were just for the summer. She's okay with that. She's even okay with the stupid nickname, because she has those too. There will never be a Damon and Caroline, but she's still happy to see him.

"No, of course you're not," he rolls his eyes, his laugh playful. "Your ass is only halfway out of your shorts in my dreams."

"Oh my god, _Damon_!" she'll never have problems yelling at him, but the effect is lost when she proceeds to pull her shorts down.

She realizes her hoodie doesn't really cover anything because he starts chuckling to himself again as she trudges up the stairs in front of him, and she's contemplating killing him and stuffing him in her bag with the rest of her things (Kat won't help with this one, but there's always Hayley). They eventually reach the end of the hallway, and he's trying to cover his stupid laugh with even stupider coughs – she's decided to wait until Kat's asleep, sure that Stefan won't mind – sand then he even lets himself in like it's him that kisses Kat against their door every Sunday morning and gets all red in the face when her laughter wakes Caroline.

This Sunday morning the boyfriend's gone (coincidence? Not fucking likely) and Kat's working her way through a ridiculously large pile of flash-cards in the window seat, her hair messily put up and her face bare. If it were any other Sunday, Care would've thrown her purse at Kat for stealing her sweats.

"Kat, _honey_ ," Caroline fake-smiles, raising an eyebrow at her best friend. "You should've told me your super annoying ex was visiting; I mean I totally would've brought back my mother's gun."

Damon drops her bag, scratches the back of his neck. Kat drops her flash-cards, stands up in a hurry. Caroline cringes; Kat didn't _fucking_ know. The silence that forms as the exes stare each other down is deafening, and Care can only pray that their eyes are wide with surprise and not pleasure, dark with disgust and not lust (in case of emergency, she tries to remember that the exit is three steps behind her).

She's back to wondering how Damon's even here, because Kat's still clearly into Kai and the older Salvatore probably doesn't even know about him. Suddenly he's helping Katherine collect the flash-cards and even though her roomie's smiling at him, Care's still too cautious to leave her spot right by the door. Kat asks him about his drive and Care internally rolls her blue orbs – small talk, Kat? _Seriously_? – before finally braving up and going to grab a towel and clean underwear. She's not staying for the disaster that is Damon and Katherine, not again.

"Care?" Kat breaks the spell, just as her fingers wrap around the door handle.

Caroline plasters on her fake smile again, whirls around, "I'm all gross from my drive, I'll be back. You two should... talk."

He should tell her why he's here so Kat can tell her. Katherine should tell him all about how amazing her life is now, so he can _go_. And most importantly, they should leave her out of it. She's convinced they have, when she makes it back after her shower and the dorm is empty. She runs her fingers through her wet hair, lazily sweeping her eyes across the messy dorm – next weekend is clean-up weekend, then – in search for a scrunchie. They're probably at the campus café, reminiscing and holding hands (because Kat can't help herself), catching up and flirting shamelessly (because Damon can't help himself either).

She's still curious. Damon has always been a constant in Kat's life, and he's her longest anything. The brunette had screamed at him for letting the distance come between them, and finally forcing herself to let him go definitely broke her heart. Kat had always thought Caroline didn't believe Damon could make anyone happy; Care had figured the brunette pretended not to know about the entire summer Damon was the reason behind all her smiles.

She prays they're leaving her out of it, that Kat isn't summing up the fiasco that is her life now and that Damon doesn't have the desire to re-tell their run-in by her car. She'll never be okay with the idea of them, her ex-something and her best friend; they burn everything in their wake, drag everyone else into all their self-made messes. Care's tired of cleaning up after Damon, of picking up the pieces of Kat's constantly broken heart, of acting like she's supportive. They're fierce. Stefan couldn't keep up, and Caroline's starting to think she's made a mistake in tagging along – she's ruined, and they're to blame. Then the door flies open to keep up with the theme of the day – which is, without a doubt, bad luck – and Care freezes with her hands stuck in her hair and her feet crossed.

She whirls around in a hurry, self-pity leaving her body to make room for newfound anger, " _Damon_! Towel! Knock!"

"Caroline," Damon plays along, rolling his eyes. "No one cares. No."

She hopes he can see her smile is as fake as Kat's lashes as she releases her hair to grasp her towel (yes, she _knows_ he's seen her naked before). Katherine never tumbles in after him, his clothes are in order and his lips aren't swollen; Care's mind starts spinning, because obviously Damon's here for her. He's here for her right now, leaning against the doorframe and doing that stupid eyebrow thing. And he was here for her when he pulled her bag free from her car, carried it to her room, dropped it at the sight of Kat.

It's only now Caroline notices why. His smile is still crooked, the corner she used to press her lips to forcing a smile on her own face. He's gorgeous, she knows this. Perfect, she's always figured; so far, she's been right. But now his eyes are clouded with confusion, no longer hard with confidence, and her assumptions are finally proven wrong.

"You're injured?" her eyes haven't left his bandaged foot since she noticed. "How?"

Damon scoffs, "Finn. He takes practice _way_ too seriously."

"How long are you out for?" Care asks, adjusting her towel, even though she's pretty sure she already knows.

"Six to eight weeks, same as you," he confirms her suspicions, shrugging.

"Well, I can't help you," Caroline sighs, blowing an unruly strand out of her face. "In case you didn't notice, I'm not coping too well either."

Damon's laugh would've been patronizing if she were unable to detect the sadness in it, "Yeah, Kat told me all about your fucked up life."

"Fuck her then," Caroline supplies, plopping down on Kat's bed.

He sits down next to her, quirks an eyebrow, "I'm team Klaus, by the way. Bad guy _always_ gets the girl."

"Fuck you, too," Caroline lets her eyes fall shut, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Are you scared?"

"Constantly," he admits, enveloping her with his arm. "Scared I won't come back as strong, scared it won't heal right-"

"Scared it won't heal at all?" she interrupts, every bit the fragile teenager that fell for him forever ago.

He sighs, pulling her closer, "Exactly."

They spend the night talking. Kat makes it back at some point, with left-overs from her study date with Hayley. She lets them be, takes Care's bed for the night. They bond over cold Mexican, the downsides of school sports and being screw-ups; she walks him to his car well after midnight, her feet stupidly bare and her shorts ridiculously short. Kat doesn't believe her the next day when Care swears they didn't kiss – and Care understands her, because Damon and Caroline are all but friends (at least, that's how it used to be).

Kol rolls his eyes when she dumps him the following Saturday during their standard study-lunch, after she steals a fry off his plate. She doesn't tell him that his brother has gotten to her, figures he knows. He assures her she'll remain his favorite even if he can't fuck her anymore (he purposely leaves out kissing, and Care lets him). She spends her Saturday night crammed together with _her_ favorites on Hayley's bed as they re-watch _sex and the city_ and eat ice-cream because that's what they do when their relationships end.


	6. Six

**Title: Six.  
Pairings + characters: Roomies and the blue-eyed boy they have in common, mentions of Tyler pre-cheating, Stefan pre-choice and a selection of the people Kat's stabbed in their arms.**  
 **Genre: Friendship**  
 **Summary: High School feels like forever ago. / set mainly in the past, before the two of them call it a night**

* * *

Katherine finds Caroline on the floor, and feels relief wash over her; things are _definitely_ getting back to normal. She's sporting one of Stefan's jerseys and Kat assumes nothing else, her mascara smudged and her braid falling apart. Her legs are crossed and _Beatles_ are on, their floor covered with notebooks, pens, police reports and newspapers. Kat totally sees it, the lawyer in her. It's a nice mixture between her inner control freak and her neurotic tendencies, making up for an awesome kiddie pool of a lawyer; she's fearless, and Kat has no doubt she'll kill it out there.

The blonde notices her before Kat's even managed to kick the door shut behind her, making yet another teasing comment about how she's rocking the scrubs (which she's _not_ , but it helps that they're burgundy). Kat's tempted to comment on her lack of a Saturday morning study boyfriend, except that wouldn't be all too good for her mission to get Care's life back in order so she's there when Kat inevitably screws up her own again.

"You're cute," Kat jokes, bending down to untie her sneakers. "What's with this?"

Care sighs, "Oral practice-exam."

"I feel sorry for you," Katherine declares, kicking her book bag in the general direction of her bed.

Kat wonders if this is it already, if Care's had her stupid phase and now they're all just waiting for Katherine's life to fall apart again. Kat knows she can't keep living her life like Caroline now that her best friend's back to herself, but she wishes she could. She wishes Care could get back into the wing of things without Kat having to fall back out. Why can't they both be amazing? She wishes Care could get away with kissing Damon and liking Klaus without having to stop to pick up the pieces of Kat's ridiculously fragile heart (she pretends it's not, but she's never been able to fool Care). Why can't both their love-lives be stable?

She wishes to come home one day after an exciting day at the hospital to find her lawyer roommate curled up on their purple couch (yes, this is a thing) with a police report. Why can't school go perfectly for the both of them? And she wishes she could ride shot-gun with Elena next Friday – she wishes she enjoyed Elena's company that much – so she could invite Care and her mother over for a picture perfect (well, _late_ ) thanksgiving dinner. Why can't they both go home for pep-talks and home-cooked meals for the weekend? She wishes for a completely hurdle-less road 'til their double wedding, but knows it's impossible because she has to tell Caroline something. Why can't they stop repeating each other's mistakes?

"So, guess who came 'round to give blood today?" Kat cringes at the false casualness in her voice, sitting down across from Care and pulling her knees up to meet her chin.

Caroline laughs, probably taking note of the tension seeping into their dorm, "They still haven't bumped your flat ass up from stabbing people in their arms?"

Kat rolls her eyes, throws a rubber that hits Care's shoulder, "Back off, Barbie."

Kat _likes_ stabbing people in their arms. Okay, she doesn't enjoy the stab-part, but she's damn well comfortable with it. She can find a vein without trouble, is just as familiar with entering the needle as she is with pulling it out. She no longer has trouble with how to treat the wounds, knows exactly how to bandage them up (kids move around so they need band-aids, oldies get cotton balls 'cause they're old). She's even become an expert at paperwork, nearly enjoying filling out endless of forms.

It's the people-part she likes. The nervous kids she has to calm down are all the same challenge, but with different solutions. Then there are the curious old women, the concerned husbands, and the not-so-brave teenagers who all ask questions, stupid and interesting and disturbing and eye-roll worthy. She likes helping them decide whether to go for finger or arm, likes talking their nerves away with meaningless questions, likes the smiles on their faces when she tells them they're done, likes the waves they give her as they go on with their day.

"Who?" Care raises an eyebrow, tucking her pencil behind her ear.

Kat sighs, suddenly back in high school, "Matty Blue Blue."

Matt they grew up with. Him and Caroline used to team up and form secret alliances in any and all of their games, calling themselves the _blonde bandits_. Him and Katherine used to be the only ones brave enough to climb his tree house, constantly running away from home together. Matt they felt safe with. He's the one who gave Kat the idea to get emancipated, a summer night on the Gilbert swing set they spent bonding over being misfits in their own families, totally not surprised to find she saw it as an opportunity more than a joke. He's also the one who escorted Care to Miss Mystic Falls so she could finally make her mother proud; his tie matched her dress, his manners made her blush, and his grace made them stand out.

Matt they fell for. Katherine used to throw stones at his window at ridiculous hours of the day, convincing him to steal his mother's car so they could drive around with the radio blaring, stopping for make-out sessions and food, constantly talking about everything and anything. Caroline used to meet him under the stands before a match; Kat never knew what they were doing (talking? Kissing? _Quickies_?), but Care always came back to their locker room with his varsity jacket wrapped around her shoulders and a smile on her face, and Matt always played amazing.

Matt they took for granted. Katherine once spent an entire night on his door-step in the pouring rain, arguing with his sister to let her in; he was already Caroline's at this point (and she was officially Stefan's, though Damon pretended not to know that), had no idea Matt's mom had left them again. Caroline went on-stage for him one night at the grill when their barely-there relationship was falling apart because he couldn't trust how she was feeling, singing her heart out to make things okay.

Matt they could always count on. His talk about marriage had ended up scaring Kat away (she used to be so _wild_ ), but he was at the front row clapping when she walked the isle on Jenna's wedding with Rick's best man and friend, even though she was his little brother's dance partner and Hayley's ride home. And even though he still loved Care when she got tangled up with Tyler, he let his best friend have her because the smile on Care's face after she kissed Tyler good luck before a game was the same she'd sported after coming out from behind the bleachers a year before.

Matt they lost. Katherine forgot all about the guy who wanted to marry her and Caroline left her safe-place. Kat stopped running away from her fears and her home, being brave on her own because Matt wasn't there to do it with her. Caroline stopped playing games and relying on others, standing up for herself because her alliance had fallen apart. Katherine Gilbert became Pierce, and Caroline Forbes became Miss Mystic Falls.

Katherine stopped throwing stones at people's windows and driving around in the middle of the night, but kept up with the make-out sessions and the conversations about anything and everything. Caroline stopped setting up meetings under the stands, but still sported a varsity jacket and a love-struck smile; Kat forgot to ever check if Matt stopped playing amazing (but she figured he didn't, because he'd never needed them as much as they'd needed him).

Kat did spend another rainy night on Matt's doorstep, Damon's arm around her as she cried for Vicki. They left before he ever came home, walking back to the Salvatore boarding house as the rain mixed with her tears and her feelings mixed with the facts (she had a boyfriend, and it wasn't the guy she was holding hands with). Caroline stopped expressing her feelings – because it didn't make things okay – and Mystic Falls hadn't heard her sing in years.

Katherine ended up with the brother who drank himself through the tough days and laughed his way through the others, opting once again for an endless party rather than a doomed marriage. Tyler was Caroline's first love, because even though the smile she always seemed to have around him was the one Matt had brought out in the first place, Tyler's smile would always be broader and happier and more genuine than Matt's.

"Wha-" Caroline takes a breath, all the air suddenly knocked out of her. "How–uh, how'd it go?"

"Made me speechless," Katherine admits, shaking her head with a laugh. "Arrived in uniform and everything."

"Ah, yes, Deputy Donovan," Caroline's mood turns around, a smile adorns her face.

Kat hasn't seen Matt since graduation, when Caroline forced him into a group hug with the girls he used to love, and the guys who stole them away. He'd arrested them for crossing roads without looking and snatching the last piece of cake since they were little; Kat was more proud than surprised, when her eyes found his in the waiting room. Maybe this is what she gets for not bothering to go back home, having the carpet pulled from under her like that. Or maybe it's just realizing that she's finally good enough for him that knocked the wind out of her.

She thinks she asked him about his job, his mother's old car, maybe even his house – she's _positive_ he's never looked so happy as when he explained to her the basics of life at the station, sure she didn't miss any regretful twitches at the mentions of the car they had all their adventures in. She tells Care she's memorized his blood type (B positive), because Caroline told her she memorized his order when they had lunch during her weekend home (tuna sandwich).

"It was so weird, I mean–we're _completely_ different people now," Kat tucks her hair behind her ears, defeated. "High School feels like forever ago."

Care shrugs, "Well, it was. You're still too wild for marriage, though, and I'm still too scared to be alone."

"So what if I'm not marriage material," Kat lets herself fall back, stretching out her legs over Care's work as her head meets the wooden floor. "So what if you're a hopeless romantic. We're still too damn good for Matt Donovan."

"But his eyes are so _blue_ ," Caroline mocks, and instantly they're in a fit of laughter.


	7. Seven

**Title: Seven.  
Pairings + characters: Our fave trio. Generous mentions of the hottie at the bar, the Salvatores and the Mikaelsons, as well as Jer and Kai. ****The Bennett bitch is in there somewhere too.  
** **Genre: Friendship  
** **Summary: Bros before hoes. / set during catch-up**

* * *

"Hottie at the bar won't stop staring at your legs, Hales," Kat winks.

Caroline moves her drink from her lips, discreetly checking out her best friend's suitor, "Oh yeah, you should totally go put him out of his misery."

"I thought this was girl's night?" Hayley rolls her eyes, but Care doesn't miss how she can't help but sneak a glance. "We're meant to be catching up, aren't we?"

"Bros before hoes," Caroline argues, getting a laugh out of Kat.

Nothing's the same, yet there is no difference. They're still going strong, even without shared classes and cheerleading and neighboring lockers and conflicting crushes. Katherine still wears revealing little black numbers that scores free shots from any bartender, even if she keeps sneaking glances at her phone in hopes of a text from Kai. Caroline still holds her liquor better than her friends combined, enjoying her fourth while the others nurse their second; not because she's heartbroken (like before), but because she's loving life.

Hayley still gets drinks and compliments from hotties at the bar, but she's pushing them in Care's general direction because she's not known to make good decisions with a broken heart. They barely hang out anymore, yet neither girl really feels the need to catch up. Hayley's roommate is an absolute babe, funny and smart and definitely a good addition to their group. Kat's classes are going surprisingly smooth, her relationship with anatomy mended and her motivation sky high. Care's still cleaning up her mess, they're still letting her.

"Speaking of bros," Hayley says, tapping Kat's phone with pointy black nails.

Kat sighs, takes a sip for extra bravery, "Things are rocky, at best. Neither of us make an effort to see each other anymore, and well– I mean, I think he has a thing for _Bonnie_ , or something."

Hayley's mood instantly dampens, and she goes in for a sip too, "Fuck her 'family friend'-bullshit. No way is she stealing another one of our boyfriends."

It's reflex, Care thinks as both her and Kat reach out to give Hayley's hands reassuring squeezes. And it's hard work, Care assumes as Hayley squeezes right back with a believable smile gracing her face. Matt was Katherine's first real thing. Tyler was Care's first heartbreak. Jeremy Gilbert was all those things too, but for Hayley. For the longest time he was just Kat's younger brother, the one who drew everything and everyone. Care even remembers driving him to his first date, thinking he was working his way through the un-reciprocated crush he had on Vicki. When she picked him up at eleven (remember curfew?), he told her Anna was crazy.

Care had laughed, remembers saying he was just comparing. Jeremy had panicked because he thought she knew more than she did, and that's how Care learned his crush had nothing to do with her ex's little sister and everything to with she best friend she wasn't speaking to. Luckily she knew how to love Hayley even when she hated her guts, and had no problems sending off a text to her other best friend before turning the car around; if her suspicions were correct, Jeremy's crush was more than a crush and he was wrong in thinking it was completely un-reciprocated (okay, _well_ , it practically was, but Care'd had faith he'd win her over).

"Did you really just say _'our boyfriends'_?" Care laughs, attempting to lighten the depressing mood.

"Don't change the subject, Barbie," Hayley pushes. "I know he spent a couple of nights at yours two weeks ago."

"Well, that whole ordeal _was_ pretty spontaneous," Kat jumps to her defense, her smile nervous.

Hayley raises an unimpressed eyebrow, "Oh, really? _Spontaneous_? Like falling in love, that spontaneous?"

Because Jeremy and Hayley did just that, they fell in love (spontaneously too, apparently). They went from sitting awkwardly across each other at the Gilbert's table to getting told off for playing footsies. Their relationship, though it made Elena skeptical, reinforced Caroline's belief in Hayley's lack of feelings for Tyler (which made a lot of things easier) and surprisingly strengthened Kat's big sister and best friend role (Care used to think Kat believed that she could see the break-up coming if she paid enough attention, so that she could do damage control before the damage was even done).

They were great. Kat hated them for being able to make time for each other without much of a hassle, but Care just hated the fact that they _worked_. They kept _working_ and making time for each other for a long time, until Bonnie Bennett realized baby Gilbert wasn't as off limits as everybody had thought. Him cheating was a shock and the break-up a complete mess, and somehow Care's best friend ended up heartbroken while her ex ended up with a new girlfriend ('Tyler and Vicki'-flashback, much? Fuck life). Safe to say, no one blamed Hayley for not being able to stand the Bennett bitch.

"Okay, okay," Kat gives. "We should've told you."

"Yeah, you should have," Hayley punctuates, before rolling her eyes and changing the subject. "You also should've told me that we dumped Kol. _And_ that we made out with Damon; I mean, I thought we hated Damon."

Kat winks, Care groans, "Caroline certainly doesn't."

So she tries her best, eyes wide and arms flailing, "I _didn't_ make out with Damon!"

Hayley gives her the look, "Yeah, you just spent a night with him and then dumped your boyfriend."

"Coincidences," Care waves it off, hoping they didn't see her flinch.

"Coincidences," Kat mulls it over, then raises an eyebrow. "I'm thinking more of the allure to darkness."

"What darkness?" Hayley demands to know, just as Caroline points a finger at her roomie, "There is no allure to darkness."

"What darkness?" Hayley tries again, this time asking Kat, who smirks and leans in to whisper dramatically, "Klaus Mikaelson."

" _Wow_ ," the look on Hayley's face is indescribable for a second; then she smiles. "And you were gonna send me off to the bar, really?"

 _Yes_ , because sending Hayley off to the bar would mean spying and drinking and dancing instead of talking and bonding and possibly crying. Care didn't make out with Damon Salvatore, but she'd wanted to. She didn't dump Kol because of a harmless night with him bonding over injuries; she dumped Kol because his brother fancied her, because she didn't mind it one bit. Klaus Mikaelson had _gotten_ to her, and she didn't fucking hate him for it.

She enjoyed talking to him, the extra years of experience he had on her refreshing and filled with amazing stories of the world she hadn't yet taken the time to see. She trusted his word (she even believed him when he joked about waiting for her) and his feelings, because even if the rest of his life was a hurricane his time with her was nothing short of rock solid. She felt safe with him, even if he beat people up and ran away from home and stole his brother's girlfriends, he'd never hurt her and she had faith that no matter what he never would. Wow is right. _Fucking_ allure to darkness.

"Okay, so maybe there is _some_ allure to darkness, like, a little bit," Care relents, because her friends deserve to be in the loop. "But it's not like it matters; I'm just acknowledging, not acting."

"Interesting," Hayley supplies, crossing her arms.

Kat sits back, pleased, "Very."

"Not as interesting as you and a certain Salvatore," Caroline easily shifts the attention over to Hayley, throwing in a wink for good measure. "Can't believe I missed that party; heard it was _wild_."

"What?" Katherine's shock is almost as loud as the music. "And you're being harsh on Care for just making out with him?"

"I _didn't_ make out with him!" Care reminds them again, but Kat's focus is on Hayley as she shrugs helplessly, "Eh, not _that_ Salvatore, actually."

"What?" Kat repeats, her eyes wide.

"You didn't hear?" Care tries to help. "Team Stelena screwed things up all on their very own."

" _What_?" the tallest of the three says again, her head probably spinning. "How?"

"No one knows," Hayley sighs. "You really talk to your sister that little?"

Kat scoffs, " _Yes_ , this is news to you?"

It's not. Katherine and Elena look exactly the same, but they're nothing if not different. Elena follows curfew and yells at her brother for _constantly screwing up his life_ while Kat continuously disobeys her parents and watches Jeremy's back as she lets him find himself. Elena spends forever straightening her hair every morning while Kat makes a mess in their closet searching for tight dresses and revealing tops. Elena gets good grades while Kat flunks classes, and Elena gets her happily ever after with the boy Kat pushed away in panic.

Stefan Salvatore is all they have in common. Elena's a kind-hearted, hard-working Gilbert by heart, while Kat was flooded with relief when she learned she was technically a Pierce. But he liked them both. He enjoyed adventure just as much as he liked the idea of settling down. He took as good care of Elena as he did with Kat, but Kat chose to back away where Elena decided to hold on tight. They look exactly the same. Maybe Stefan forgot about all the differences when he switched sisters and just now realized that himself?

"Of course it's not," Care stops the potential fight; keeping her thoughts to herself (they're still pretending she made the right choice, aren't they?). "But _god_ , I can't believe you and Stefan hooked up."

"Honestly, neither can I," Hayley admits with a shrug just as Kat's phone lights up. "But Tyler and the bartender were grinding on the dance floor and Bonnie was home that weekend and– and you didn't show. Stef was just _there_ , all hot and heartbroken. I guess we just went for it."

Care smiles, "How was it?"

" _Care_! He's your best friend," Kat smacks her arm half-heartedly, and Care probably would've believed her if her phone wasn't in her face.

"So is Hayley, Kat," Caroline rolls her eyes. "Besides, that question is, like, obligatory."

"I don't remember too much, but I'm assuming good enough," Hayley sighs. "He's not talking to me, though."

"Weird," Care's eyebrows furrow just as Kat mutters a sarcastic _shocker_.

Silence forms as the three of them simultaneously reach for their drinks. Kat's typing mixes with the beat of the music, Caroline's vision starting to blur as much as her thoughts have lately. It's the same silence that appeared when Jeremy broke Hayley's heart, when Kat picked Damon, when Care trusted Hayley over Tyler. It's the same silence that hung over them after graduation and before they opened their acceptance letters, the same silence they enjoy during study-sessions and the morning after. Then Kat's phone rings. And Hayley stands up. And Care downs whatever's left of her drink.

Everything's different, yet it's all the same. Katherine answers the call with a grin, Hales raises the remainder of her drink to the hottie at the bar, Caroline pulls her strapless number up. Kat takes off to fix her rocky at best relationship, her heels making a beat against the floor and her curls dancing wildly. Hayley gives Care's hand a squeeze, making the decision to end her night with some fun she'll regret tomorrow morning, her lines perfected and the movement of her hips seductive. Care pays the bill and makes up for the loneliness of her walk back to campus by acting on the allure to darkness ( _just this once_ , she fake-promises herself), her laugh genuine when she can hear his shock even through the phone. Conclusion? No matter the time or place or troubles or absence, they're fierce and no catch-up is gonna tell them any different.


	8. Eight

**Title: Eight.  
Pairings + characters: Kat and Care, featuring lunch with Hales, the Salvatores, Care's new best friend Jesse, a slutty Gilbert and our faves from TO  
Genre: Friendship  
Summary: If it were any other day than fucking thanksgiving, Kat would've given her sister a hug for her slutty actions. / set during thanksgiving weekend**

* * *

Kat fiddles with the strap of her left sandal, settled on the floor next to the mess of textbooks and notes that is today's classes. Care sits cross-legged in front of their full-length mirror, her mouth open in concentration as she coats her lashes with lengthening black. There's country music playing from their radio in the window, likely reminding Care just as much as herself of the upcoming thanksgiving weekend at home. Kat doesn't think she can do another year of fake smiling and nodding her non-existent agreement as her mom announces she's thankful for family.

Neither can she do with constantly feeling like a hooker, which is near impossible to avoid when she likes red lips with her eyeliner and showy tops with her crazy curls; it sure as hell doesn't help that her sister will always rock pink lip gloss and maxi dresses to go with her straightened locks. She can't get away with inviting Damon to keep things interesting, nor can't she count on Stefan to help keep her cool. She can still finish half of Jer's joint while her parents prepare dessert, and she's positive Liz'll let her spend the night there crying on Care's shoulder as she texts a summary of the same fucking situation as every year to Hayley. God, she hates thanksgiving.

"Hey, jacket or no?" Care wonders as she slips on a pair of girly ballet flats, and Kat has no idea when she finished her make-up.

But she rolls her eyes all the same, "That depends, you going there to nail the waiter or talk Hayley's ear off?"

"Point taken," Caroline laughs, reaches for one of the many leather jackets on their hanger that doesn't belong to her. "You good?"

Kat settles for a nod, because right now she is. _Good_. She's rocking scrubs and un-cooperative sandals to go with her messy bun, Care's cable knit tucked into the bottom of her bag for her afternoon class. Kai is having lunch with her later not because she's a sweet cheerleader who spends an hour straightening her hair every morning and likes holding hands, but because she's a reckless bitch who enjoys adventure and is never shy about her feelings for him. At least she hopes so.

The fact that her last serious boyfriend changed his mind about her as soon as he got to know her look-alike (and yes, it's her privilege as the older one to get to call 'Lena that) still burns as an annoying ass reminder in the back of her head. She's not risking it again; so she occupies herself with copying her partner's bio notes and sneaking glances at Care and her new best friend Jesse (she can even hear Care's resounding _we're just study-buddies, god I wish you'd back off_ in her ears, which is why she's trying her best to be discreet about it) during lunch, because then she doesn't really find the time to feel guilty for not bringing Kai with her back home for the weekend.

Anatomy goes by in a flash, because she's forced to pay attention and scribble down important websites, chapters to read and _this will be on your exams_ sentences to get away with dodging both Jeremy's texts and her mom's calls. Elena sits third row, tossing her hair and batting her eyelashes at Liam the flirt as she spends her time in class practically in his lap; and this is after Prince Salvatore crashed their shift so he could _please_ talk to his twin of the month, leaving the other with double the paperwork because she chose the other brother (if it were any other day than fucking thanksgiving, Kat would've given her sister a hug for her slutty actions).

Her curls tumble out of her messy bun with every step she takes back towards building C, her scrubs mismatching cutely with the cable knit and the stupid sandals, her book bag hanging carelessly off one shoulder as she clutches her last test to her chest. A 68 (A fucking _nurse next_ 68\. In fucking anatomy). Care laughs at her appearance the second she enters their dorm, but then her brows furrow and Kat loses her grip on her resolve. When the blonde asks her the exact same question as before, her eyes calculating and her hands zipping her overnight bag shut, Kat sighs because right now she isn't. _Good_.

She's a mess in scrubs with her bestie's knit wrapped around her like a safety blanket. Lunch with her lover is a blur, no real conversation or shared food or goodbye kisses. She's doubting his feelings, afraid he'll find something better any moment now. She's more aware than ever that that _something better_ is her two minute younger sister - who looks exactly like her but is the complete opposite in any and every way – and her surprisingly slutty actions along with the 68 in her hands won't weigh up for hearing all about it around the dinner table (and the next morning, when 'Lena undoubtedly goes for a run while Kat sleeps in).

"I can't go," she realizes.

Care laughs, "What?"

"I'm not going home for thanksgiving, sorry Care," her shrug however, is unapologetic. "I don't need to hear all about how much of a disgrace I am."

Care's sigh isn't defeated, rather understanding, "Fine, then I'm not going either."

Kat rolls her eyes, "Your mom-"

"Will be perfectly okay with a phone-call," Caroline waves a dismissing hand, fishing out her phone. "Now let's go food-shopping."

This is where Kat realizes she's already lost this stupid argument; that she'll be spending her thanksgiving barefooted and tipsy with classic rock blaring from the radio in the window while munching on perfected turkey, and that she doesn't mind this one bit. Caroline types furiously, her nails against the glass of her _iPhone_ reaching Kat's ears even from where she's emptying her bag across the room and stocking her books on their desk.

A faint reminder of lipstick-shopping before some decade dance appears in her tired head, when she'd gone for the first sexy red she saw while Care opted to fill both their sets of hands with swatches and go over every single color at least twice before settling on a flirty pink (Kat avoided her half the night for that, like seriously). She loves all of Caroline Forbes, except maybe (definitely) the control-freak that always followed curfews and refused to lie.

"I'm not going food-shopping with you, you're crazy," she voices her concerns, stripping of her work-wear.

Care merely raises a brow, dangling the phone that's no doubt full of all kinds of lists by now, "Back off Bitchy, I'm inviting your husband."

Thanksgiving turns out okay after all. Care doesn't invite Stefan out of the goodness of her heart (read: girl code), but in return she gets Kat's least bitchy behavior and no jokes about the allure to darkness from the second Klaus joins their set-up to after Care's kissed his jaw goodnight (she even waits until they're brushing teeth and removing make-up before grilling Care on the diamonds on her wrist, reminding her roommate that no one missed the look of pride on Klaus' face when it caught his eye). Her _husband_ and the maid of honor get along better now that he's dressed and she isn't cock-blocking, and Hayley the future bridesmaid along with her roomie and the super-hot boyfriend is nothing if not a nice addition.

Davina and Klaus have an unlimited number of inside jokes on Marcel's expense, punctuating the fact that the couple are in fact surviving high school sweethearts, because the dark skinned man takes it all with a playful smile and the occasional shake of his head. Hayley and Kai bond over rebelling in orphanages and adjusting to all kinds of foster families, sharing stories of first and last days of school with clouded eyes and a fighter's smile. So of course Kat ends up on the roof – a breath of fresh air in the overwhelming acceptance and love she hasn't felt all day – with her blonder partner in crime and a bottle of red. She may hate thanksgiving, but she fucking loves her friends.


	9. Nine

**Title: Nine.  
Pairings + characters: All our favorites wrapped up into one crazy rave**  
 **Genre: Friendship**  
 **Summary: Because she _is_ as slutty as the brunette she's dancing with. / set at the party of the year**

* * *

Care nurses her drink as the beat picks up its pace, her bright yellow top almost blinding in the UV lights as she takes in the chaos all around her. Tyler's bartender girlfriend hasn't stopped moving since their college started raving hours ago, mixing drinks and cleaning puke like she's on auto-pilot or something. She's positive it's the back of Rebekah's blonde hair she spots outside by the bushes, suspicions enhanced by the Bennett bitch standing right by with a glass of what Care hopes is water (because even Caroline can't hate Matt's current flame _that_ much).

Stefan's passed out further down the bar, where he's undoubtedly set up camp ever since Elena went upstairs hand in hand with Liam the flirt. Her fingers expertly click past the last of Hayley's _I'm sick feel sorry for me snapchats_ when she spots the green eyes and scruffy "barely there"-beard she's been studying with for the past month. A jolt of nervous electricity shoots through her, from the tips of her intricate hair-do (she'll praise Kat for this 'til the end of time) to her chipped toe nails. Her eyes travel down his body, his white t-shirt making nearly as bright of a statement as hers, and it's almost as if she's back in the library right before closing.

She moves her gaze before he notices her – which she knows is inevitable, she's a blonde with crazy hair and a yellow shirt sitting by herself at the bar – and downs the rest of her drink before her hands have the chance to start shaking in remembrance. Then she does what Caroline Forbes does best; she over-analyses, then panics. Because she's full of liquid courage, and if Jesse joins her she's positive she'll pull an Elena (not that her situation with Klaus is comparable to her least favorite twin's with Stefan, but hey) and let him drag her upstairs as she follows along with a giggle and a blush.

It's at this exact moment, when her study-buddy walks up to the bar and flashes the bartender a smile that makes her lips tingle, that she's reminded that Kat's always there for her; the brunette's hoarse chuckle reaches her ears just as the song dies out, and Care whirls around to locate her roomie on the dance floor. It's not difficult. Kat stole one of her floral skirts and toughened it up with a leather jacket Care hasn't seen before, face paint decorating her striking features in colors that match the floral impeccably (and something tells Care she's never seeing that skirt ever again).

Her eyes are lit up in amusement and her grin is on full display, her arms up in the air and her hips moving to the beat effortlessly. Care's never been happier to see her best friend being the flirt of the year, pushing up from her seat at the bar and speeding over just as the study-buddy she's trying to avoid calls out her name, side-stepping wavering glasses and horny couples.

"Kat!" she announces her presence to the back of her best friend's head before throwing her arms around her.

The brunette plays along, swaying her hips and intertwining one of her hands with Care's, "Hey."

"Jesse's here," Care declares, dropping her free hand to Kat's hip as she follows her lead.

"And that is a problem because?" Kat inquires, winking at a douche who eyes them openly.

Care prays Kat doesn't hear her sharp intake of breath, "We kissed last study-session."

Which they weren't fucking supposed to. Care's still not sure if she even likes him like that, and this is leaving out the fact that her first love's moved on, that she sits with her ex in economy while ignoring all of his brother's advances (to no avail, she may add). But they were so into last week's paper and his input was so helpful and his wording was so professional and his eyes so incredibly green – up until that particular study-session, Caroline genuinely believed she was capable of self-control-

She also firmly believed she shouldn't thank a guy for walking her to her room by kissing him, that she could refrain from acting on the fact that her study-buddy's a hottie, and that she's not as slutty as the vixen she's grown up with. Tonight, with the music blaring in her ears as alcohol courses through her veins, she realizes her self-control is non-existent; she finds herself wanting to thank Jesse again and again even if she's not really sure, because she _is_ as slutty as the brunette she's dancing with.

" _God_ ," Kat throws her head back with a laugh until it makes contact with Care's shoulder. "If you were a guy, do you have any idea the unlimited amount of opportunities I've had to tell you to _keep it in your pants_?"

Care raises an unimpressed eyebrow as she scans the floor for the guy she's avoiding, "Real funny."

Kat laughs again, drawing the attention of the drunken guys by the nearest table, smoothly whirling around and scanning the activity behind Care's head before resting her hands on the hips of her roomie as she keeps moving to the music. Care playfully rolls her eyes because she's forgotten all about her best friend's inability to take _anything_ seriously, especially intoxicated on the middle of the dance floor of the party of the year while her boyfriend's away for the weekend. Somewhere in the back of the blonde's mind as she too jumps up and down to the beat she's more than well aware that Kat's done worse; but then, that's what Kat's always been. _Worse_.

Worse of a student, because being tied down to a desk will never be her thing. Worse of a daughter, because she's too free spirited to really fit in anywhere for too long. Worse of a lover, because she can be brutally selfish and scarily determined when it comes to the things she wants or wholeheartedly cares about. Worse of a confidant, because she always speaks her mind and remains a firm believer in tough love. Worse of a person, because she's so complex no one bothers trying to figure her out (because they don't realize that when they do, the result is _amazing_ ).

Her dance partner quirks an eyebrow, "What do you need me to do?"

"Kiss me," Care says it like a statement, not a question.

"You're gonna make the poor bastard think he put you on the other team?" Kat's smile is vindictive.

"Shut up, for once," Care pulls on a curl before emerging one hand in the hot mess atop her best friend's head. "And do as I say."

"Fine," Kat winks as her hand comes up to cup Care's cheek. "But just this once."

It's nothing they haven't done before. To say goodnight on the nights they spent tucked into sleeping bags at the Gilbert tree-house when they were little, during spin the bottle in middle school to show off for the boys, that one time Hayley woke up wasted in a lesbian bar, and at the points where either had gotten curious. Nothing's changed; it's not bad, or satisfying, just _nice_. The world around them doesn't blur, but Care's eyes flutter shut. She's in the Gilbert tree-house with a deck of cards in her hands watching Kat eat up the rest of their popcorn with narrowed eyes. She's on the floor of Tyler's living room, giggling at her best friend as she crawls across the circle of people while their classmates eye them in excitement.

She's sitting in Kat's window before the decade dance of sophomore year, her head swimming as she eyes her grinning best friend from in front of the mirror where she enjoys the way her dress and heels makes her ass look. She's paralyzed in shock, her cap crooked and her gown opened to reveal her lacy white last impression, the lines of her valedictorian speech still whirling around in her head. She wonders now if what made Kat kiss her then was the same thing that made Care kiss her two years before, right before they took off to another decade dance.

Kat pulls back, lets out a breathy laugh, "Wow, okay."

"Thank you," Care says with a playful eye-roll.

The brunette shakes her head, "That's what friends are for, babe."

"Wow is right," Care admits, laughing along with her roomie. "Let's dance the rest of our night away, huh?"

"You always have the best ideas," Kat winks.


	10. Ten

**Title: Ten.  
Pairings + characters: An Elena, a fucking Pierce and Care. Oh, and the suck-up ****and his** **long lost bestie Kai and a Salvatore along for the ride** **  
Genre: Friendship + Romance  
Summary: – no, actually, she hit Care because the blonde made her realize she _is_ an Elena / set in the middle of an identity crisis**

* * *

"Nice bra," Kat points out, stifling a yawn.

Care rolls her eyes, "I thought you were sleeping."

"Nope, I've watched you go back and forth between dresses while humming JB for _at least_ fifteen," the brunette winks. "And for the record, I think you should go with the blue one."

It's almost as if last night's fight – over fucked-up priorities and constant clashing of schedules – never happened. Care doesn't yell at her for being an _opinionated bitch_ again, she merely mutters something unintelligible (and probably mean, if Kat were to guess) under her breath before her hand grasps the fabric of the blue maxi Kat likes the most. Katherine doesn't mention how Care's still acting like a _stuck-up whore_ , instead choosing to occupy herself by fiddling with their beloved radio to find something good to fill the awkward silence with. As the control freak she is, Caroline takes her time with packing her bag; Katherine watches her with furrowed eyebrows as she messily braids her un-cooperative locks away from her tired face.

Kai's hoodie still rests in a heap at the end of her bed and he's probably the reason her phone won't stop vibrating. She's back to walking hand in hand as the rain pours down on the two of them and completely soaks the grey hoodie he pulled over her head a block back, a smile on her face despite the circumstances. She remembers trying to convince him the damn movie was a good one, but he'd just kept insisting she was wasting her money on popcorn and coke next time. He stopped so many times he'd had her convinced she was waking up the next day with a cold; to tuck away the curls that stuck to her face, to kiss her nose, to hold her tight.

She takes a breath for bravery, then turns her eyes back on her roommate, "I need you to go on a date with me."

Care doesn't miss a beat, playfully rolling her eyes as she struggles with gathering her messy locks to form a bun, "Honey, I'm sorry, but that kiss didn't mean anyth-"

"No, shut up, don't be funny," Kat rolls her eyes, turning the radio down. "You know Liam, the suck-up in my study group? Yeah, turns out him and Kai go way back."

Caroline whirls around, one hand lost in the mess atop her head and a handful of hair clips in between her teeth. Kat would've laughed if this situation wasn't so morbid, because you actually _can_ see the gears in her pretty little head turning underneath the messy blonde atop. A mere three weeks ago, Kat hit Care with her furry pink lamp because the blonde called her _an Elena_ – no, actually, she hit Care because the blonde made her realize she _is_ an Elena. She constantly catches herself stealing floral everything from Care's wardrobe, and finds herself unable to count on two hands the amount of times she's stayed in with flash cards and grilled cheese over parties with red cups or dates with steamy taxi rides back home.

Kat barely had the time to mourn over this realization before Care hit _her_ with a leather jacket (oh the irony) for turning Elena into a _fucking_ Pierce. Kat didn't laugh then either, because ever since she got back from her lunch-date she'd been all but hoping Care wouldn't run into her clone and realize the entire fucking universe had been flipped _and_ that hell had frozen over. She'd seen Elena's curly, red-accented hair in class last week. She'd seen her dancing on a table at that house party she rescued Hayley from last weekend. She'd caught her sneaking into the boys' locker room in sweaty gym wear two minutes before their pop quiz the other day. If Elena Gilbert has accomplished anything at all lately, it's proof that she is in fact Katherine Pierce's identical twin – and Kat was perfectly fine letting her sister screw up her life a couple of years after that kind of thing was acceptable, until she interrupted her and Kai's lunch with a fake smile on her face and Liam's arm around her.

Kat sighs heavily, blowing a strand out of her eyesight, "I'm so not spending hours in a restaurant with that–"

"Elena?" Care interrupts helpfully, a threatening eyebrow raised.

Kat rolls her eyes, "Definitely _not_ the word I was going for, but sure."

Care copies her, "And who am I bringing to this double date from hell?"

" _Well_ , I was thinking Stefan," Kat's smile is anything but innocent.

They're elbow to elbow in a bathroom that plays Beatles, Care messing around with her curls while Kat fixes up on her blush. The showy purple top the brunette has opted for clashes horribly with Care's red and flowy dress, but at least none of them are as boring as Elena's straight hair and little black number. Kat's voice is hoarse from all the fake laughs, and Care's swaying from her five glasses of sparkly to even deal with tonight. Despite the constant of Kai's hand on her thigh and the easy of messy conversations with Liam, it's the intimacy of eye-contact with Stefan Salvatore that rings in her mind as she blends out the pink. She loves Kai for introducing her to his friends and treating her to Mexican, and she appreciates Liam for looking past her never-ending rejections and not holding back on his fun personality. She's not in love with Stefan anymore, and he's left the position where she can appreciate him; yet she finds herself filled to the brim with respect for him for attending this shit show, all because his best friend asked him to.

"This lighting sucks," Kat states the obvious as she angrily blends away.

"This triple date sucks," Care addresses the elephant in the room with an annoyed eye-roll. "Like seriously, can't you and 'Lena just kiss and make up already?"

"In another universe, maybe," Kat shrugs. "Don't worry babe, all that's left is desert. Then you can head on with Kai and I, and we can let 'Lena and her beau attack each other like they've been keeping from doing all night."

Care pushes off the sink, her curls perfectly messy and her smile very much real despite the situation. Kat recognizes Care's smile as the one that used to grace her own face when once upon a time Stefan Salvatore calmed all her nerves and washed away any traces of anger just by grabbing her hand underneath the dinner table. Tucking away any and all thoughts on the wind in her hair and Stefan's giant sunglasses covering her face as Rihanna (she always won any and all arguments) sings them through the roads of Mystic Falls in the thousand year old Salvatore car, she tries her best to smile (believably) right back. Kat pretends not to notice when her best friend rolls her eyes, keeping her focus on some none-existent dirt on the thighs of her jeans.

"Right," Kat says, clears her throats for the shock to go away. "He's taking you home."

Care shrugs, "I'm sorry Kat, but you and 'Lena are tiring."

"Yeah, Stef would know all about that," Kat playfully rolls her eyes.

"Right," Care sighs, grabs Kat's hand to squeeze. "You gonna be alright?"

Her nod is too persistent, "Always."


	11. Eleven

**Title: Eleven.  
Pairings + characters: This one's all Fierce**  
 **Genre: Friendship**  
 **Summary: Katherine Pierce has never really been a cheerleader, just good at pretending. / set at game day**

* * *

Care notes with shameless satisfaction that her curly pony-tail bounces with her steps; she can only hope the crimson bow glows in the sunlight too. She has one white and freshly (though shakily, damn Rebekah) painted _W_ on each cheek and a brilliant smile adorning her fresh face. Her pompoms dance in the wind of her steps as she heads for her dorm, her entire body aching after days and days of repeating routine. Sunglasses are perched at the top of her blonde head even though her bracelet nearly blinds her. Game day.

If Caroline Forbes isn't a cheerleader through and through, no one is; she doesn't care that the burger she had for breakfast doesn't go with their cheeky uniforms, nor does she really mind the side-eyes she gets as she trudges happily across the quad because you see, she's done this before. This whole overenthusiastic blonde with nothing between her ears, the cheeky uniform with the not-really-hers letterman jacket to go with; it's who she is, what she knows. Her experiences with this sport will always dampen the noise of other people's useless opinions.

Her smile, however, disappears the second she enters her dorm. Her pep falls with her pompoms as they drop to the floor in favor of having her hand pinch her nose to stop the quite insisting smell of pizza and spilt beer. The music that blares from their tiny radio doesn't go right with the routine she's going over in her head, and Kat's hot pink underwear clashes horribly with her uniform. Her best friend's dancing, her curls all over the place as she swings a beer-bottle around with her movements. Her singing is off-tune and her laugh emotionless, her eyes closed and her lashes ridiculously long. Game day. Katherine Pierce has never really been a cheerleader, just good at pretending. This whole captivating brunette with red lips and fake ass lashes, the constant party with the in-your-face underwear to go with; it's who she is, what she prefers.

"Kitty Kat?" Care teases, letting the doorframe support her weight as her smile comes back. "You okay? I mean, this shit doesn't normally happen on Wednesdays."

" _Tryin'_ to have fun, Care, shut up and stop ruining it," Kat declares with a shaky toast.

Caroline rolls her eyes, crosses her arms, "You're seriously standing me up?"

"Whaa-" Kat raises an eyebrow as she sways around, taking in the team spirit that is Caroline Forbes. "Well shit."

Things turn around all too fast. One second she's biting her tongue to keep from laughing at her forgetful drunk of a best friend, routine swirling around in her head with a red bow perched on top; the next, it's like the whole world comes crashing down on Katherine Pierce. The tears all start at once, but she remains silent and unmoving. Care raises one confused eyebrow and the beer bottle drops. Seconds later they're both on the floor. Caroline pushes Kat's curls out of her face whispering nonsense, determinedly ignoring how her tears are soaking her uniform. The music drowns out Katherine's sobs as she buries her tear-stained face in crimson and Care's positive the glass cuts her foot as she switches positions to hug her best friend's pieces back together properly.

Kat's arm waves carelessly around in the air as she re-tells the story of how Kat and Kai came to an end. Her dark hair is all over Care's lap and her eyes are closed; her fake ass lashes are soaked. Caroline listens without much trouble, having already sorted through her evasive best friend's feelings when she made her ridiculous choice forever ago. _She_ can't even find it in herself to believe Kat as she insists it's Kai she wants and that the signs he's supposedly spotted are make believe. Between throwing stones at Matt Donovan's window and finishing the world's supply of bourbon with Damon Salvatore one Katherine Pierce fell in love; and not with the hot RA, as she so desperately wants to believe.

Kat has always been an adventure; she loves fiercely and hates just as passionately, her vocabulary void of any and all excuses. This whole college thing, with separate career paths and a stuffy dorm to go with is supposed to be all them. Yet neither of them can seem to move past the broken hearts, murderous hangovers and goddamn game day. Caroline Forbes is a cheerleader through and through, even with her bow crooked and her pompoms on the floor, even with her best friend's tears all over her uniform, even as the game starts with a bang without her on the field. Katherine has never really been a cheerleader, but jerks in surprise at the sound of the cheers and music.

"Shit," is all she seems to be able to get out at this point. "Shit shit shit _shit_. Fuck, I'm so sorry, you have every right to hate me."

Care surprises even herself as she laughs, "Shut up Kat, you know you trump cheerleading."

Even if she does in fact know, her eyes still light up in gratitude, "Okay. Um, I don't-"

"Speak up Kitty Kat, lack of confidence doesn't suit you," Care teases as Kat trails off.

"I feel lost," Kat admits hoarsely. "What am I even supposed to do now? Care?"

Caroline cocks an eyebrow, stares determinedly off into space, "Honestly? I think it's about goddamn time you start choosing yourself, Kat."


	12. Twelve

**Title: Twelve.**  
 **Pairings + characters: Kat, Care and Lydia**  
 **Genre: Friendship (if you could call it that)**  
 **Summary: She's already tried flirting her way out of this stinking mess, but either her cut isn't low enough or Whitmore PD are honest people / set during a night of bad descisions**

* * *

She can't decide if she's incredibly hungover already or just blasted drunk still. She has mascara halfway down her face from moments of weakness, her missing lipstick and messed-up hair evidence of all the bad decisions she's spent tonight (this morning?) making. Even though orange is far from her color, she desperately wishes they'd put her in a jumpsuit; she's never felt more like a hooker than she does with her skirt scrunched up at her hips and her heels way too high for her spinning head.

She's already tried flirting her way out of this stinking mess, but either her cut isn't low enough or Whitmore PD are honest people; she hopes for the first, because that's the only kind of rejection she can handle without breaking at this point. Opposite of where she's stood pretending the bars aren't digging into her back is an actual hooker, a woman in her early twenties who very well could be a shorter, platinum-blonde excuse for her best friend; the very best friend she spent her phone-call on, despite the fact that she's very much on her way to becoming a lawyer.

Kat studies the woman from her killer heels to her dark lips; wondering when her self-esteem went as low as the cut of her top, if her confidence rises along with the bottom of her skirt (if you could even call it that). She thanks the heavens for one Caroline Forbes, knowing full well Katherine Pierce actually suits this prison better than her dorm. And she finds herself drunkenly hoping there are enough Carolines out there for everybody.

"So, d'you come here often?" Kat tries for a smile, but it's strained. "It's my first time, but I must say there's quite horrible service."

The blonde chuckles, tossing her extensions out of her face, "How much did you make tonight, then?"

Kat hopes she doesn't visibly flinch in disgust, "I'm just a student who got busted for underage drinking. Why?"

"Then I guess it's just me who's buying beers for the district tonight," she chuckles again, but her eyes are dead honest. "I'm Lydia."

"Katherine," Kat wants to lie like always and say her name's Hayley, but doesn't feel like her best friend deserves any form of connection to the mess that is currently her life.

Lydia is definitely a regular. She argues her way to a new rag and drowns it in water from the sink that she's able to turn on without actually touching. Kat's brain screams at her hands to wash her face clean – yep, definitely still drunk – while Lydia's hands braid her fake locks with perfected ease despite the very painful lack of a mirror. She tells Kat about the time she made enough for a restaurant meal without even kissing the guy, about the time she spent the night without meaning to because his mattress was nicer than her apartment, about the time the guy refused to give her her heels back because of a freaky foot fetish so she stole his leather jacket on her way out.

She lets Kat borrow her vampy lipstick – " _'cause_ your fake ass lashes and crazy curls look kinda ridiculous without a sexy lip to match, hun" – and advises her to drop the feigned confidence and take off her heels. And by the time her best friend saunters in Kat's skirt is pulled down and her top is pulled up, the laughter she thought she lost somewhere in between the triple date from hell and goddamn game day ringing through the cell like tonight's paper isn't dependent on whether or not Caroline can afford to bail her out.

Where Kat is now comfortable on the lumpy mattress in the lower bunk with her heels by the door and her eyes excitedly following Lydia's hands as she tells about the time when the guy just wanted to talk, Caroline stands out like any angel in complete darkness. Even with her juicy couture tracksuit and sorry excuse for a bun she looks like royalty. Even with her eyes barely awake and her inability to keep her hands still she's a perfect display of confidence. This should be when they realize they're too different for this thing to work out, but there's zero disappointment in Care's eyes as Kat meets them through the bars.

"You know," perfectly manicured hands grasp the bars uncertainly and one neatly trimmed eyebrow raises in something akin to skepticism. "When I sprouted all that bullshit about being free and exploring yourself again, uh, this isn't exactly what I had in mind."

The corner of Kat's lips turns up, "Is this your way of telling me you can't afford bail?"


	13. Thirteen

**Title: Thirteen.**  
 **Pairings + characters: Kat and Care. Plenty of Klaroline to go around (sort of).**  
 **Genre: Friendship + Romance (ish) + Hurt/Comfort**  
 **Summary: Only problem is, Care really doesn't want to be the next girl's bracelet / set at a low-point**

* * *

Care's sitting Indian style on the floor in front of their full length mirror – she wonders who gets to keep it after the inevitable post-college divorce – with her over-flowing make-up bag at her feet while Ed Sheeran's voice echoes off their walls. Kat's brushing her hair so aggressively that Care catches herself flinching along with the brush, eyes barely open and her top on inside out. One semester in and Mondays still aren't quite their thing; after a week of cramming and a weekend of partying with moments of homesickness and run-ins with love it always becomes brutally clear how badly control freaks and survivors actually mix. Care settles for humming along as she chisels her cheekbones, effectively ignoring her hungover best friend making lunch plans with the hooker from prison.

Kat jumps sky high every time there's a knock on their door, and she's always asleep and without visitors by curfew. She goes to the hospital early and arrives back late, never with a smile on her face. Lunch is spent with her nose in some book, knowledge turning out to be far better company than loneliness despite the fact that she's all misery. On Sunday mornings she's out running from her problems with Care's headphones before the blonde's even come to, never with a smile on her face. Yet somehow, this time's better than last. Because Kat's not drowning her sorrows in wine, whiskey and vodka – but never bourbon – and kissing her way through campus. She doesn't miss Kai like she missed Damon, because this time she realized she deserves better the second he admitted his heart wasn't in it anymore. She hasn't cried over Kai like she did every night for Damon, because Care keeps insisting no guy is worthy of her tears and Kat's finally starting to believe her. Her heart survived this time, and Care thinks she'll be just fine from here on out.

To make room for swatches of potential lip colors – all nudes and one daring red she stole from Kat – Care adjusts her bracelet, watching as it glitters shamelessly in the light of Kat's beside lamp. It belonged to some princess, he said. Care'd always wanted to be a princess, with a closet full of pink puffy dresses and a never ending line of handsome princes at her door to whisk her away. Now this older, well-traveled beast of a man was offering her just that, and she found herself envisioning princesses in a new light. What's the point in traveling everywhere if you're not educated enough to really enjoy it? Do pretty dresses and stunning jewelry weigh up for the loneliness that's bound to settle in at some point? So she settles, once again, for one of many nudes; Care's a lot of things, daring is not one of them.

Klaus Mikaelson is the last thing she needs in her life right now, yet he's somehow also everything she's ever wanted. He's the classes Kat never managed to convince her to ditch, the sexy dresses that she leaves on their hangers without ever trying on, the top spot on the pyramids in cheer that she'd always hand over to someone else. He's a future beyond law school, purple couches and a small town life. Klaus Mikaelson is the breathtaking view from the very top of the Eiffel Tower, the music that rings through the vibrant streets of New Orlrans, the warmth of the sun on some hidden island outside of Asia. Only problem is, Care really doesn't want to be the next girl's bracelet, the tale of the princess who's no longer beautiful enough to hold his interest.

"He drew you a horse?" Kat breaks her train of thought, her top now discarded and her eyes wide as they scan the drawing Care hates herself for keeping in her bedside table.

Drawing a quick breath for bravery, and to calm her raging fucking nerves, she pretends to start searching for her blush, "Kat."

Her voice holds a warning clear as day, but Kat doesn't seem to register it as she plops down on Care's bed and brushes her hand over his pencil strokes like Care's done too many times already. The story of Katherine and Klaus is not a love story, but that doesn't mean that they weren't in love. One heartbroken Pierce used Damon for all he was worth at the time – if she then only knew that toying with him would eventually break her as well as her heart – and snuck into a fraternity party with a skirt that was entirely too short and hair that was without a doubt too wild. Klaus Mikaelson caught her attention. That night they were wasted. The second time loneliness was swallowing her best friend whole. The third time her impending feelings for Damon were scaring her shitless. The fourth time they'd already claimed to hate one another, but somehow couldn't resist saying goodbye.

"He never drew me any horses," Kat admits, and Care searches her face but can't really locate the sadness she hears.

Care finds the top of her best friend's head in the mirror, her cheeks flushed in something akin to embarrassment (because _why_ does Kat's statement tickle her pride?), "Kat."

Kat frowns, her eyes finding Care's, "I didn't even know he could draw."

Exasperated, and with a blush she doesn't really need anymore clutched in her hand, Care throws her arms in the air, "Katherine!"

The grin that stretches across her best friend's face will probably haunt Care's dreams tonight, "What?"

"What do you mean what?" Care's screaming now because _damn_ , even if she did fool herself she'd never be able to fool Kat.

"I knew you were just as into him as he's into you," Kat states the obvious, her grin widening beyond what's possible. "C'mon hun, I want details."

Care's shrug is helpless, "There are none. He's a monster and I like him anyway. I'm aware this is just some phase for him and he'll get over it soon, yet I never take off this goddamn bracelet."

They walk to their first class together hand in hand, singing off key to _shape of you_ as if they don't have a care in the world, as if they're still in middle school. Care's bag is about to burst open and there's a brilliant smile on Kat's face, boys being the least of their concerns as they each give off fake names to the barista at the college coffee-shop and then switch drinks. Kat spends all of economics on her phone, only looking up when Care slaps her arm in warning. Care doodles in both their margins and makes whispered conversation with Davina on the row behind her. Neither of them take notes.

They share a salad for lunch, their backs up against some ancient tree on campus that brings out the blue in Care's top but makes a mess of Kat's curls. Kat memorizes something that has to do with blood types while Care expertly bookmarks her nifty little book of laws, their purple couch very much in reach. Kat steals any and every tomato from the container between them, but leaves the croutons for her roommate. It's not until Kat quite literally runs off to the hospital that Care realizes the bracelet she left on her bed hasn't crossed her mind even once. Klaus Mikaelson is everything she wants, everything she doesn't need. Being a princess really isn't all it's cracked up to be.


	14. Fourteen

**Title: Fourteen.**  
 **Pairings + characters: Steferine with some Care on the side**  
 **Genre: Romance only (finally)**  
 **Summary: She doesn't tell him that Kat really only fell in love with Stefan Salvatore / set before sunrise**

* * *

The sun hasn't even come up yet. Kat can't remember the last time she was _this_ disciplined; in all honesty, she'd skipped more high school classes than she'd attended ( _yes_ , she's aware this college thing is nothing short of a goddamn miracle). She kept her spot in cheer over the years solely because her blonder half was co-captain, because the entire squad knew there was never – through all four years of car-washes and pep-rallies – an ounce of dedication on Kat's end. Her curls dance as her pony-tail bounces in time with her steps, and despite how beautiful the braids and bows look on her roommate Kat isn't missing it at all. Even if she is very much the type of girl who wore her uniform to school just to fully enjoy the staring, she's more than comfortable shutting the world out with borrowed headphones as she makes a sharp turn to get to the football field. Even if back in Mystic Falls it was common knowledge to pretty much everyone that Katherine Pierce was to be found at Caroline's side, she's quite okay on her own too.

Part of her misses being centered in the middle of the chaos that is game day, her only concern being whether she was shaking her poms intact with the others and if she were calling out players' names correctly. To this day Kat still doesn't know shit about football, but the smiles that crept their way onto her face where she stood cheering on the sidelines were always as genuine as they came; she'd never given cheer her all, but she'd enjoyed herself regardless.

Now, however, she's come to the conclusion that she's perfectly comfortable on the stands. There her wild curls and leather jackets blend in with the rest of the student body in a way Kat didn't know she'd craved over years of acting out. She's always known attention to be the kind of wonderful that makes her smirk in delight, but fitting in proves to be the kind of lovely that makes her actually smile because she's finally content. Sure, she's still faking school spirit, but at least there's a chance of her actually making it this time 'round.

The stands are empty now that the sun's just starting to rise, no sign of smiling cheerleaders or dedicated football players anywhere. Kat comes to a halt, and curiously peers up at the grey sky. Maybe game day isn't what's going to turn her mood around after all. Curfew terrifies her more now than it ever has before, the mere chance of once again being belittled by a guy who could've been – and at some point, completely was – the one scares her to the bone. She's made a habit of getting up before both the sun and the sunshine in the bed next to hers, perfecting the de-tour of all de-tours to get to her safe place across town. Kat still hasn't run into him, this guy she used to share a bed with. She still hasn't properly smiled yet, either. Kat takes a single breath for bravery, then sprints across the field and all the way to the very top of the empty stands; as far away from her problems as possible.

She doesn't know how long she's been lying flat out on the top bench when the stairs squeak, only that her eyes are still perfectly dry and her raging heartbeat has finally slowed down. Then she sits up, and her heartbeat picks right back up again. Stefan Salvatore, with his hair perfectly disarray and his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans, frowns at the offending step on his way up to where she's sitting. His letterman jacket clashes horribly with the purple tights she's traded in her pompoms for, his curiously furrowed brows a great contrast to her open-mouthed surprise. Trust her to somehow manage to cross paths with the guy who caused this shitstorm of heartbreaks in the first place, when the rest of campus is more or less asleep and she has no witty blonde to hold her hand or a crowd of people to lose herself in. Would anyone judge her if she just got up now and ran the fuck away?

"Hey," he's breathless. "Wow. Sorry, I– uh, I needed to make sure I wasn't seeing things."

Kat cocks an unimpressed brow, because right now sarcasm is her only line of defense, "A lot can change in two years, Stefan. You should know that by now."

Two years ago, Stefan Salvatore offered Kat a ride home from practice and took her to _Mc Donald's_ instead. They shared fries and stories, and Kat found herself leaving her pompoms in his car just for an excuse to talk to him again. Two years ago, Stefan Salvatore spent his Saturday nights eating leftovers while Kat cleaned the tables for lock-up. He was always around to help her keep her cool, somehow making her brain stop functioning with accidental touches in the lunch line or across the kitchen table (no one even knew Katherine Pierce was capable of blushing until she started getting tangled up with Stefan Salvatore). Two years ago, Kat could get away with pulling Stefan with her to the girls' bathroom during break for heated make-out sessions with wandering hands to match. They'd get told off in any and all classes for passing notes across the room, for making carefully planned trips to empty their pencil sharpeners, for always partnering.

He nods, "Can I sit with you?"

"You actually want to?" she can't resist throwing back, but they both know it's all bark and no bite.

"A lot can change in two years, Katherine," he repeats, and then he's sitting with her.

Somewhere in between spontaneous _Mc Donald's_ trips and heated make-out sessions, Stefan got to know Elena Gilbert. In pure retaliation, Katherine Pierce started holding hands with her boyfriend's brother. Sitting across from him now – eyes on a spot somewhere behind him because she can never help protecting herself – Kat can't for the life of her remember why she'd ever felt like she didn't deserve for him to be as in love with her as she were with him. It's no secret she genuinely regrets choosing the other brother, pulling away completely in a moment of panic and effectively handing her happily ever after over to the sister she's never really liked.

Because just like Kat, Stefan found it in himself to like both siblings. They might look exactly the same, but Stefan chose safety over adventure and Kat kind of hates him for that. Instead of trying to figure out where the hell they went so far off the deep-end there was no coming back, she picked up bottle, turned up the music, and lost herself in all kinds of adventures with the brother who accepted them (accepted _her_ ) with open arms.

She's curiously studying his face when his eyes find hers, and suddenly just sitting on the stands feels a lot more intimate. For once though, they aren't awkward. Stefan Salvatore knows her now, all of her. He watched her expertly self-destruct and then tiredly pick up the pieces from somewhere on the sidelines. He watched her mash the pieces back together until they somehow formed a girl who spends Sunday mornings running across campus and game nights on the stands, a hard-working nurse-to-be who finally has it in her to put herself first. Kat laughs as Stefan cracks an uncertain smile, her brain halting when he joins in with a hand to her knee. It's at this point she realizes she's somehow finally ended up where she's completely okay with letting herself love this guy, run her hands through his hair and catch his bottom lip between her teeth without panic setting in. She doesn't, though. Kiss him.

She just playfully rolls her eyes, "You ready for tonight's game, then?"

"Honestly? I was kind of freaking out about starting," Stefan shrugs.

"Was?" Kat's more than capable of keeping up this time 'round.

He laughs again, then nods firmly, "You've always been good at taking my mind off of things."

"Yeah, where's your mind at right now?" Kat refuses to let the eye-contact scare her, starts playing with his hand instead.

"Right here, with you," his smile is brilliant. "Just talking."

She tells him about thanksgiving on the rooftop with a bottle of red, how well college seems to fit with the person she's becoming now. She tells him about fitting in on the stands rather than standing out on the sidelines, assures him she doesn't miss the braids and bows one bit. She lets him in on the secret that is her and Care's purple couch, proving to both herself and him that she's actually serious about something for once. She tells him the story of Kat and Kai, about seeing Damon again, her smile unwavering because she's through with them both. She admits to switching roles with Caroline for a while, how it was all resolved with a brilliant kiss on the middle of the dance floor of the party of the year. She opens up about the allure to darkness, about how it's somehow consumed Care despite the fact that she's full of light.

She says she's terribly sorry about tricking him into a triple date from hell, insists that he has nothing to do with Elena completely and suddenly losing herself because he doesn't. She tells him how incredibly ironic it is that things were turned upside down for her on goddamn game day, how she's somehow okay still because she's at the very least managed to surround herself with good people. She doesn't tell him that Kat really only fell in love with Stefan Salvatore, saves it in the depths of her heart for another day and a different conversation; just for an excuse to talk to him again.


End file.
